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Orlando City vs. Chicago Fire: Final Score 5-2 as Lions End Season on Eight-Game Winless Skid

Orlando conceded three times in seven minutes just after being denied what appeared a sure penalty, and finish 11th in the East.

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5 years ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Orlando City lost center back Robin Jansson to injury, then went on to give up a bunch of goals, losing 5-2 to the Chicago Fire at Exploria Stadium in the team’s final game of the 2019 MLS season. Despite Tesho Akindele’s opening goal just four minutes in, the Lions allowed an equalizer before halftime, then completely fell apart in the second half.

The Lions (9-15-10, 37 points) end the season with a losing home record (6-8-3) and in 11th place in the Eastern Conference. Orlando has still never beaten the Fire (10-12-12, 42 points) at home (0-2-3).

Kyle Smith scored an own goal for Chicago that perhaps should have been credited to C.J. Sapong (who added a goal later). Aleksander Katai added a goal for the Fire and Przemyslaw Frankowski scored a brace. Benji Michel added a second for Orlando.

“Obviously very disappointing finish to the season,” said Head Coach James O’Connor after the match. “It’s just a really bitter way to finish the season.”

Lamine Sané was forced out of O’Connor’s lineup due to illness, Michel replaced Dom Dwyer in the starting lineup, and Uri Rosell stepped into the midfield for Sebas Mendez, otherwise it was the preferred starting lineup (minus the injured Joao Moutinho, of course).

It didn’t take Orlando long to get on the scoreboard. It nearly happened in the second minute when Kenneth Kronholm made two outstanding saves to deny Mauricio Pereyra and Michel in successive attempts.

But the Lions broke through two minutes later anyway.

A long ball from Pereyra sent Michel in behind the defense. The rookie rounded goalkeeper Kronholm but his touch was heavy and took him wide. Michel sent the ball to Akindele, who sent a shot off the right post that hit the back of Kronholm’s legs and went in, giving the Lions a 1-0 lead in the fourth minute. The goal was originally called offside in the buildup on Michel but video review showed Michel was onside and the goal counted.

It was Orlando’s earliest goal from the start of the game all season.

Chicago equalized in the 17th minute. After several good crosses in from the right by Katai, the Fire finally paid one off. Katai fizzed a ball into the middle that Sapong got a foot on. The ball hit off Smith and went in for what was called an own goal.

Kronholm was outstanding in net for Chicago in the first half and kept the Fire from falling back behind. The first stop was in the 22nd, when Nani and Pereyra combined to send Akindele in behind. The Canadian left his shot too close to Kronholm, who made the stop.

The next big save came at the other end, with Brian Rowe making a spectacular diving stop on a Brandt Bronico drive from just outside the penalty area in the 30th minute.

The ensuing corner kick resulted in disaster for Orlando. Sapong barreled into Jansson in the air, sending the Swede toward the turf. Jansson’s head hit Smith’s knee as he fell and the defender had to be stretchered off on a back brace and in a neck collar for precautionary reasons. He was sent to the hospital to get checked out for a potential neck injury and Shane O’Neill took his place on defense.

Kronholm robbed Michel of a goal in the 41st minute as his excellent first half continued.

After nine minutes of first-half stoppage due largely to the Jansson injury, the teams went to the break tied at 1-1. Chicago held most of the possession in the first half (56%) and was the more accurate passing side (89%-84%), while Orlando had more shots (7-5) and shots on target (6-1).

Chicago came out with some early pressure in the second half, looking to break the stalemate. Frankowski missed a shot over the bar early in the half, but the game really turned after a play in the 58th minute.

Orlando got a chance in close, with Akindele getting sent in by second-half sub Sacha Kljestan. Tesho crossed right to left for Michel to tap it in but the rookie was shoved from the top of the six all the way over the goal line and into the net by Johan Kappelhof. The ball trickled through to Klestan who fired just wide from a tight angle but the bigger issue was that no foul was given for what seemed to be a pretty clear denial of a goal-scoring opportunity.

“I felt like I was fouled,” Michel said after the game. “But I guess the ref saw otherwise. I can’t really think about that play. I’ve just got to keep going. Whatever he calls, he calls.”

Three minutes later, the Fire started a three-goal barrage in just seven minutes. Sapong started things in the 61st with Sapong putting Chicago in front for good. O’Neill was slow in closing down the striker who one-timed a pass from Fabian Herbers into the net to make it 2-1.

“Even before their second goal we’ve had…goodness…who knows how many chances,” O’Connor said. “That’s pretty indicative of how the season has gone for us.”

Two minutes later, Katai twice got Kamal Miller leaning the wrong way and drove home a left-footed shot just inside the far corner.

Four minutes after that, Frankowski got the ball with his back to goal in the area. After Smith went to ground trying to clear it, he simply back-heeled it into the net.

Rowe made a save on a 3-on-2 break in the 69th to keep the score at 4-1.

Nani said teams that miss so many chances are susceptible to conceding when the ball isn’t going in.

“It’s almost the same as the last couple of games,” Nani said. “We had the chance to kill, the chance to put our opponents down, and the (missed) chances probably gave the other team the chance to score a goal and gave them confidence. And we go down in our motivation and our belief if we can win the game. The last five games are almost the same.”

Kljestan set up Michel for a consolation goal in the 75th, splitting the Chicago center backs with a perfect pass. The rookie turned and fired home to make it 4-2.

The game got chippy over the next 10 minutes with some nasty challenges by the Fire that drew two yellow cards and a retaliatory foul by Pereyra that earned a booking.

Orlando should have pulled closer in the 85th minute. A perfect ball from Kljestan to the back post found second-half sub Chris Mueller, but the second-year man didn’t go for goal and instead nodded the ball across for Michel, who let it bounce, then smashed it right at Kronholm, who fought it off.

Frankowski completed his brace in the 87th minute, getting into the area behind the defense. Rowe made the initial save on the shot but then stood watching, expecting the ball to sail out of play. Instead, the pop-up came down in play and Frankowski nodded it in unchallenged to make it 5-2 on an embarrassing play for Orlando City.

Just for good measure, Nani got 1-v-1 with Kronholm, then fired off the right post in stoppage time as yet another chance went wasted.

The final whistle mercifully blew the proceedings to a close, and in true Orlando frustrating fashion, it was just as the Lions had won a corner. Chicago ended with a 20-17 shots advantage, with Orlando getting more on goal (10-9). The Fire held 53% of the possession and were the more accurate passers (88%-85%).

O’Connor was frustrated with Orlando’s inability to put Chicago away early despite some outstanding scoring chances. Kronholm played his part in that but there were some good opportunities where the Lions simply didn’t finish.

“The chances that we didn’t capitalize on tonight, it’s just incredible,” he said. “You can’t miss the volume of chances like that.”

“We just weren’t clinical enough,” Michel added.

That’s all, folks. Another crummy season is over, but at least this is the first time it was a better season than the previous one since the Lions entered MLS. There’s nothing left to do now but wait to see what changes the team undergoes in preparation for 2020.

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Orlando City Announces 2025 Major League Soccer Season Schedule

We now know who, when, and where Orlando City will play in 2025.

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9 hours ago

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December 19, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Major League Soccer released its 2025 schedule this afternoon, telling us when, where, and against whom Orlando City will play during the upcoming season. As usual, the Lions will play 34 regular-season games, 17 at home and 17 on the road. They’ll open the season at home as they’ve done every year since joining MLS in 2015, hosting the Philadelphia Union on Feb. 22 at 7:30 p.m. The club will end the 2025 season on the road, traveling to Toronto for Decision Day on Oct. 18.

The bulk of Orlando City’s schedule will be against Eastern Conference opponents, facing each team twice in 2025  — once at home and once away. Additionally, the Lions will face six Western Conference foes once to complete the 34-game schedule.

The Western Conference opponents visiting Orlando this year include the Portland Timbers (Saturday, May 24), Sporting Kansas City (Saturday, Aug. 16), and the Vancouver Whitecaps (Saturday, Aug. 30). The Lions will visit the LA Galaxy (Saturday, March 29), the Colorado Rapids (Saturday, June 14), and St. Louis City (Wednesday, June 25 — the club’s first-ever MLS trip to St. Louis).

As expected, most of Orlando City’s games this season will take place on Saturday, with 27 of the team’s 34 games occurring on that day. Additionally, there will be four Wednesday games, two on Sundays, and one on a Friday.

The busiest month this year is May, when the Lions have seven games, including two midweek fixtures. March and July are the second-busiest months of the regular season with five games; April and August have four each; June and September each have three; October has two; and February has one game on the schedule.

As for rivalry games, the Lions will face Inter Miami and Atlanta United twice this season. The first game against Miami is on Sunday, May 18 in Fort Lauderdale. The return game in Orlando is on Sunday, Aug. 10. The first game against Atlanta this year will be at Inter&Co Stadium on Saturday, April 26 and the Lions will travel to Georgia on Wednesday, May 28.

A notable difference in the 2025 schedule from the past two years is the lack of a midseason break for the Leagues Cup. The tournament will still continue with 18 MLS clubs facing the 18 Liga MX clubs, but the games will be midweek and the MLS campaign will continue during the annual competition. The league will also play during the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup (sort of), which includes two games at Inter&Co Stadium. The league will break from June 15-24, while FIFA’s competition runs through the bulk of its group stage. Orlando hosts FIFA Club World Cup knockout matches on June 30 and July 4, but those dates don’t directly conflict with City matches.

The Lions won’t play during any of the four FIFA international windows this season. However, they will play four games during the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup, which could see them lose forward Duncan McGuire to the U.S. National Team. However, since McGuire will not likely return from his shoulder surgery until May or June, it seems unlikely he would be selected for the team after not having played much, if at all, since November.

The 2025 MLS season will be televised on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV for the third consecutive year. In addition to their regular Saturday night lineup, the league is adding a Sunday night game each week this season. Orlando City will be in that slot twice — both against Inter Miami. FOX Sports will also air 34 games over linear television, including 15 on FOX and 19 on FS1. All FOX Sports broadcasts will also be available in Spanish on FOX Deportes. TSN and RDS will have at least one game per week featuring a Canadian club with matchups being announced in the coming weeks.

Here’s the schedule breakdown in terms of games by month:

  • February: 1 (home)
  • March: 5 (2 home, 3 away)
  • April: 4 (2 home, 2 away)
  • May: 7 (4 home, 3 away)
  • June: 3 (1 home, 2 away)
  • July: 5 (2 home, 3 away)
  • August: 4 (3 home, 1 away)
  • September: 3 (1 home, 2 away)
  • October: 2 (1 home, 1 away)

Here’s the schedule breakdown by days of the week:

  • Sunday: 2 (1 home, 1 away)
  • Monday: 0
  • Tuesday: 0
  • Wednesday: 4 (2 home, 2 away)
  • Thursday: 0
  • Friday: 1 (away)
  • Saturday: 27 (14 home, 13 away)

Orlando City’s 2025 Schedule:

(Home games in bold)

  • Saturday, Feb. 22 — Philadelphia Union, Inter&Co Stadium, 7:30 p.m.
  • Saturday, March 1 — Toronto FC, Inter&Co Stadium, 7:30 p.m.
  • Saturday, March 8 — New York City FC, Yankee Stadium, 7:30 p.m.
  • Saturday, March 15 — New York Red Bulls, Sports Illustrated Stadium, 2:30 p.m.
  • Saturday, March 22 — D.C. United, Inter&Co Stadium, 7:30 p.m.
  • Saturday, March 29 — LA Galaxy, Dignity Health Sports Park, 10:30 p.m.
  • Saturday, April 5 — Philadelphia Union, Subaru Park, 7:30 p.m.
  • Saturday, April 12 — New York Red Bulls, Inter&Co Stadium, 4:30 p.m.
  • Saturday, April 19 — CF Montreal, Stade Saputo, 7:30 p.m.
  • Saturday, April 26 — Atlanta United, Inter&Co Stadium, 7 p.m.
  • Saturday, May 3 — Chicago Fire, Soldier Field, 8:30 p.m.
  • Saturday, May 10 — New England Revolution, Inter&Co Stadium, 7:30 p.m.
  • Wednesday, May 14 — Charlotte FC, Inter&Co Stadium, 7:30 p.m.
  • Sunday, May 18 — Inter Miami, Chase Stadium, 7:30 p.m.
  • Saturday, May 24 — Portland Timbers, Inter&Co Stadium, 7:30 p.m.
  • Wednesday, May 28 — Atlanta United, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, 7:30 p.m.
  • Saturday, May 31 — Chicago Fire, Inter&Co Stadium, 7:30 p.m.
  • Saturday, June 14 — Colorado Rapids, Dick’s Sporting Good Park, 9:30 p.m.
  • Wednesday, June 25 — St. Louis City, Energizer Park, 8:30 p.m.
  • Saturday, June 28 — FC Cincinnati, Inter&Co Stadium, 7:30 p.m.
  • Saturday, July 5 — Charlotte FC, Bank of America Stadium, 7 p.m.
  • Saturday, July 12 — CF Montreal, Inter&Co Stadium, 7:30 p.m.
  • Wednesday, July 16 — New York City FC, Inter&Co Stadium, 7:30 p.m.
  • Saturday, July 19 — New England Revolution, Gillette Stadium, 7:30 p.m.
  • Friday, July 25 — Columbus Crew, Lower.com Field, 7:30 p.m.
  • Sunday, Aug. 10 — Inter Miami, Inter&Co Stadium, 8 p.m.
  • Saturday, Aug. 16 — Sporting Kansas City, Inter&Co Stadium, 7:30 p.m.
  • Saturday, Aug. 23 — Nashville SC, GEODIS Park, 8:30 p.m.
  • Saturday, Aug. 30 — Vancouver Whitecaps, Inter&Co Stadium, 7:30 p.m.
  • Saturday, Sept. 13 — D.C. United, Audi Field, 7:30 p.m.
  • Saturday, Sept. 20 — Nashville SC, Inter&Co Stadium, 7:30 p.m.
  • Saturday, Sept. 27 — FC Cincinnati, TQL Stadium, 2:30 p.m.
  • Saturday, Oct. 4 — Columbus Crew, Inter&Co Stadium, 7:30 p.m.
  • Saturday, Oct. 18 — Toronto FC, BMO Field, 6 p.m.

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Orlando City

2024 Orlando City Season in Review: Dagur Dan Thórhallsson

The Icelandic fullback maintained his spot on the right of Orlando’s back line in 2024.

Published

12 hours ago

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December 19, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City signed Icelandic midfielder Dagur Dan Thórhallsson on Jan. 31, 2023. The then-23-year-old was signed to a two-year deal with two additional option years for 2025 and 2026, but on July 18, 2024, the club announced that they had re-signed him to a new contract, which runs through the 2026 season with a club option for 2027. Unlike last season, when he was used in multiple positions to open the season, the Icelandic international came into 2024 as a right back and he played there nearly exclusively throughout the season.

Let’s have a look back at Thórhallsson’s second season with Orlando City.

Statistical Breakdown

Thórhallson participated in all four of the competitions Orlando City played in during 2024, starting at right back in nearly every match and playing more than 3,300 total minutes. While his most frequent partner at left back, Rafael Santos, was known more for his crosses and long passes, Thórhallson could more often be found playing quick one-twos with the midfield and trying to cut the ball back into the middle off the dribble, giving the Orlando City two completely different types of looks from their normal starting pair of outside backs.

In MLS regular-season play, Thórhallson appeared in 31 matches, starting 29 and playing 2,412 minutes — the sixth most on the team. He scored two goals and added four assists. He took 23 shots, putting five on target, and he completed 83.5% of his passes with 25 key passes, eight successful crosses, and 13 completed long balls. On the defensive side, he recorded 47 tackles, 21 interceptions, 56 clearances, and six blocks. He committed 20 fouls, suffered 22 fouls, and received three yellow cards.

During the MLS playoffs, the Icelandic right back started all five matches, playing 381 minutes with no goals or assists. He took three shots, placing none on target, and he completed 84.6% of his passes with four key passes. Defensively, he recorded four tackles, four interceptions, and 15 clearances, including a season-high seven in the final game. He drew two fouls and committed two, and he was not booked.

Thórhallson played in three of Orlando City’s four Concacaf Champions Cup matches, starting all three times and playing 270 minutes. He did not take any shots, so he did not score any goals, but he did contribute one assist. He completed 86.1% of his passes, including two key passes. Defensively, he tallied two tackles, two interceptions, two clearances, and one block, and he committed two fouls, while suffering four. He was booked once, earning a yellow card.

During Leagues Cup play, Thórhallson started all three games, playing the full 270 minutes and scoring one goal with no assists. He took two shots, placing both on target, and completed 81.3% of his passes with two key passes. He added two tackles, seven clearances, and one block on defense, and he committed one foul and drew none. He did not receive any cards.

Best Game

Right backs do not often have games where they log multiple goal contributions, but on June 22, Thórhallsson did just that, assisting on two goals in Orlando City’s 4-2 victory over the Chicago Fire. He got going early in this game, playing a ball in the fourth minute that led Facundo Torres perfectly into his patented cutback into the middle. The resulting shot put Orlando City up 1-0.

Slightly more than 20 minutes later, Torres returned the favor, playing a leading ball to Thórhallsson that took him right into one of his patented moves, turning the corner on his defender inside the 18 and playing a searching ball into the middle of the box. In this case, there was a bit of a scuffle for the ball on his pass, but the ball popped out right in front of Iván Angulo, who tapped it home. Thórhallsson did not receive credit for the assist, but he made that play happen.

Thórhallsson’s actual second assist came on Orlando City’s fourth goal, as he took a ball that Duncan McGuire popped up in the air and brought it down to his feet near the right sideline. He then sliced through the middle of Chicago’s defense before finding Torres, who hit one of the shots of the season for his second goal of the game and the second Thórhallsson-Torres goal of the evening.

That goal capped off a three goal-creating actions match for the Icelandic defender, one of only four games like that by Orlando City players during the 2024 MLS regular season. Thórhallsson also contributed two tackles, two interceptions, and three clearances on the defensive side, one of the best all-around games by anyone on Orlando City all season.

2024 Final Grade

The Mane Land awarded Thórhallsson a composite rating of 6.5 out of 10 for the 2024 season, the same rating we gave him for the 2023 season. He looked comfortable in the right back role, and made some improvements on both sides of the ball, but there was not a leap forward from last season to this season. As a former midfielder, there is more offense in his game than many right backs, but even though he increased his goal contributions from five in 2023 to eight in 2024, he did so in more than double the minutes, decreasing his goal contributions per 90 minutes by 25%, while also creating the exact same number of shots per game for his teammates, 2.1, in 2024 as he did in 2023. He improved his defending and positioning on that side of the ball, but there was a slight dip in his offensive production, though with Thórhallsson, it’s never for lack of effort as his work rate is excellent.

2025 Outlook

I think 2025 may look a little different than 2024 for the Icelandic international, as there will be some serious competition for minutes at right back from young players Alex Freeman and Michael Halliday and the old reliable Kyle Smith, and of those three players and Thórhallsson, I think it is the man from where they filmed the scenes from north of The Wall in Game of Thrones who has the skillset most applicable to other areas of the field.

That is not to say that I think Thórhallsson needs to move to a new position, but Head Coach Óscar Pareja may consider that his ability to adapt to other positions could turn him into a younger and even more versatile version of Smith, and we could see Thórhallsson playing some as a left back, right back, defensive midfielder, or even winger. He is one of the few players on the roster who I believe has that adaptability, and Pareja has shown that he likes to use the beginning of a season to find his preferred lineup, before locking that in and keeping it static in the latter half.

I expect that when the season opens, Thórhallsson will be the starting right back, and he may well play there at the end of the season as well, but unlike in 2024, I expect that in 2025 we will see him playing minutes in many different positions.

Previous Season in Review Articles (Date Posted)

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Lion Links: 12/19/24

Preparing for the MLS SuperDraft, New York Red Bulls sign Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, Tim Weah injured, and more.

Published

17 hours ago

on

December 19, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Mark Thor

How’s it going, Mane Landers? I’ve knocked out all of my shopping except for one gift I’m still trying to procure. I have a lead on it though and high hopes that I can get a literal bow on it before traveling to visit my family next week. For now though, let’s dive into today’s links from around the soccer world!

Getting Ready for the MLS SuperDraft

The 2025 MLS SuperDraft will take place on Friday and the league released the list of 477 eligible players clubs can choose from. This year’s Generation Adidas class includes Cornell forward Alex Harris, North Carolina left back Tate Johnson, Wisconsin forward Dean Boltz, and UC Santa Barbara defensive midfielder Manu Duah. Those players likely won’t be on the board by the time Orlando City’s 27th overall pick rolls around, but the team has proven in the past it isn’t afraid to make a trade for a top prospect.

Here’s a nice position-by-position breakdown of some of the best players available on Friday. I personally think Orlando could use some depth at center back, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the team rolls the dice on a center forward given its track record. Unfortunately, we’ll have to follow along with each pick on the league’s website rather than a stream.

MLS Transfer Roundup

After falling in the MLS Cup final earlier this month, the New York Red Bulls have added some firepower by signing Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting as a Designated Player. The 35-year-old heads to MLS after playing for Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Stoke City, and Schalke 04 over the past 10 years. The Red Bulls now have a fairly dangerous trio of Designated Players in Choupo-Moting, Emil Forsberg, and Dante Vanzeir.

Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference, the New England Revolution added midfielder Jackson Yueill as a free agent. The 27-year-old signed a three-year contract that includes options for 2028 and 2029. D.C. United traded away $150,000 in General Allocation Money to Nashville SC in exchange for defender Lukas MacNaughton. FC Dallas signed midfielder Ramiro Benetti, who has spent the past two seasons with Cruzeiro Esporte Clube in Brazil. Veteran defender Nick Lima has returned to the San Jose Earthquakes, signing a two-year contract with the club.

Keeping Up With the Americans Abroad

The injuries continue to rack up for the Americans, as Tim Weah will miss some time after sustaining a thigh injury earlier this week in Juventus’ win over Cagliari. In better news for Americans plying their trade abroad, forward Ricardo Pepi scored twice in PSV Eindhoven’s 8-0 win against Koninklijke HFC in the KNVB Cup. Manchester United, Chelsea, Manchester City, and Liverpool are all reportedly interested in left back Antonee Robinson, who turned some heads with a pair of assists on Sunday.

EFL Cup Semifinals Nearly Set

The EFL Cup semifinals are setting up to be a heavyweight affair, with Liverpool, Arsenal, and Newcastle all advancing from the quarterfinals. The day belonged to Gabriel Jesus, who scored his first hat trick for Arsenal in a 3-2 win over Crystal Palace. Liverpool extended its unbeaten streak to 20 games across all competitions after a 2-1 win over Southampton, while Newcastle United beat Brentford thanks to a brace from Sandro Tonali. The final semifinalist will come from today’s match between Manchester United and Tottenham, with the draw taking place afterwards.

Free Kicks

  • The NWSL Shield and Championship trophy paid a visit to WFTV’s studios, and it’s still a bit surreal that the Orlando Pride secured both pieces of silverware this season.

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!

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